Empanada Gallega - Galician tuna pie


INGREDIENTS  (4 servings)
Dough:
250g of whole wheat flour
250g of type 0 flour
150ml of seed oil
250ml of water
15g of dry yeast 
1 tsp. of salt
2 tsp. of sweet paprika
1 beaten egg

Filling:
2 medium-sized onions
2 red peppers
10 cherry tomatoes
200g of canned tuna
green olives
salt and pepper
2 tsp. of sweet paprika
2 boiled eggs
Empanada Gallega, often also referred to only as empanada, is a traditional Galician pie. One of the most typical fillings is tuna (which can also be replace with mackerel), peppers and onion, but there are many other variations. I made mine using 250g of stone-ground wholemeal flour as I wanted a more rustic appearance and flavour, but the original recipe uses type 0 wheat flour. Empanada is a very nourishing dish with a rich and tasty filling.
PREPARATION
  1. To make the pastry, mix the two types of flour, salt, baking powder and paprika powder in a bowl. Gradually add oil and lukewarm water to the flour mix until you obtain a slightly sticky (but not wet!) dough. Knead well for 5 minutes in order to obtain a smooth and elastic dough. Cover it with cling film and leave to rest for at least 1 hour.
  2. To make the filling, coarsely chop the onions and dice the peppers and tomatoes. Sauté the onion in a heated pan with some olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then add the diced peppers and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and add 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika. Stir-fry for 10-15 minutes or until soft, but not overcooked. Remove from heat and let cool down.
  3. Once cooled down, add the tuna and some chopped parsley to the filling, then mix well.
  4. At this point, we'll go back to out pastry. Divide the dough into two uneven parts, approximately 2/3 and 1/3. Take the larger ball and roll it out to a thickness of 3-4 mm and place it on a slightly oiled baking sheet. You can also use parchment paper. Spoon the cooled filling to the centre of the pastry and spread out towards the edges, leaving a 2cm border all around. Sprinkle the stuffing with the olives and previously sliced hard-boiled eggs.
  5. Roll out the remaining pastry slightly smaller than the base of the pie and gently place it over the filling. Bring the base up to meet the smaller pastry disc and fold it over, pressing and crimping into a rope shape to make a sealed pastry edge. 
  6. Prick the pastry with a fork on the surface and brush it with beaten egg. Bake in the centre of a fan oven at 200°C for about 30-35 minutes.